A dispute over Rs 1,000 allegedly led to the murder of a 33-year-old man in Haryana’s Sirsa district, with police arresting five of the accused.

The victim, Ashok Kumar, was beaten to death in Chhatrian village earlier this month. Police said raids are under way to arrest the remaining accused.

The arrested men have been identified as Sahab Ram, Sanjay, Yashpal, Vinay and Sandeep, all residents of Chhatrian village.

The incident took place on July 12 when Ashok was returning from the fields with his brother Mukesh and uncle after collecting fodder.

According to the complaint, a group of men who had allegedly been waiting for them, blocked their way. While Mukesh and his uncle managed to escape, the attackers allegedly caught Ashok and assaulted him with sticks and iron pipes, leaving him critically injured. He later died during treatment at the Civil Hospital.

Police said preliminary investigation found that the two groups had been locked in a dispute over a Rs 1,000 financial transaction for the past two to three months.

Although the village panchayat had earlier mediated a compromise, tensions between the families continued.

The victim’s family alleged that the accused carried out the attack as part of a planned act of revenge.

Based on Mukesh Kumar’s complaint, Baragudha police had registered a murder case and other relevant charges against 16 named accused and one unidentified person.

Baragudha SHO Labh Singh said five accused have been arrested so far, while efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest the remaining suspects.